My freezer is always full of boneless, skinless chicken breasts. Is yours? I pick them up when they are on sale and tuck them away. Inevitably though, I will find myself staring in to the freezer and wondering what I will make with them!

So in my newsletter earlier this month, I promised some delicious and easy boneless chicken breast recipes to help us all out with this constant dilemma. (You are subscribed to my mailing list, aren’t you?! :) I started out with the 15 Minute Spicy Kung Pao Chicken Skillet. This second one is for all the lemon chicken lovers and it’s a twist on the usual, using charred lemons. Charring the lemon quickly in a hot skillet really intensified the lemon flavour in this dish. And there’s capers too, for a bit of tangy bite. And it’s ready in less than 30 minutes!

Cook’s Notes for Charred Lemon Chicken

The sauce for this dish as written is not super thick, which is perfect for serving over pasta or rice, so the sauce with migrate to flavour underneath. If you aren’t serving over or if you just want a thicker sauce to coat the chicken, simply add a bit more flour (2-3 tsp. total).

Capers are a lovely addition to lemon chicken, but not a deal-breaker if you don’t have any on hand. Simply omit.

What wine to use for lemon chicken? Any decent dry white wine will work perfectly for lemon chicken. No need to buy a special bottle, just use any one you enjoy drinking.

Substitute for wine in lemon chicken If you don’t have or want to use wine in this recipe, you could easily substitute it with white grape juice or simply use additional chicken stock. Since there is a lot of acidity in the dish already, with the lemons, adding additional acidity isn’t necessary.

What vegetable to serve with lemon chicken? I love something green with lemon chicken – asparagus, broccoli, broccolini are all great. Quick sauteed greens like spinach, kale or chard would also be nice.

What to serve with lemon chicken? Lemon chicken is perfect paired with pasta. Angelhair spaghetti pasta makes an elegant dish. White rice is also a good choice. If you’re avoiding carbs, try cauliflower rice!

Charred Lemon Chicken

Prep Time:5minutes

Cook Time:20minutes

Total Time:25minutes

Servings:4people

Energy:287kcal

Author:Jennifer

Quick and easy, this Charred Lemon Chicken is a perfect weeknight meal as it's ready in just 30 minutes. Serve with pasta and a green vegetable for a complete, delicious meal.

Instructions

In a medium bowl, add lemon slices and garlic halves. Sprinkle with sugar. Set aside.

Season chicken pieces with salt and pepper. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add olive oil. Add chicken to pan and cook for about 4 minutes on each side or until golden and cooked through. Remove chicken to a plate.

Add a splash more oil to the pan if it is dry. Add lemon slice mixture to the pan (keeping bowl handy) and cook, turning occasionally, for about 1 minute or until lemon slices are lightly browned. Return lemon mixture to the bowl.

Wipe pan with paper towel and heat over medium heat. Melt 1 1/2 tsp of butter in the pan, then add shallot, 1/2 teaspoon minced garlic and thyme sprig. Cook for 30 seconds or so, then add wine to pan, scraping pan to loosen browned bits. Bring to a boil and cook for about 3 minutes or until liquid almost completely evaporates. Add chicken stock, and flour to the pan, stirring with a whisk. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat, and simmer 3 minutes or until liquid is reduced to about 2/3 cup.

Remove pan from heat; discard thyme sprig. Stir in remaining 1 1/2 tablespoons butter and capers, stirring until butter melts. Taste sauce and add additional salt and pepper, as needed. Return chicken and any juices to pan and re-warm in sauce, turning to coat with sauce. Top chicken with lemon mixture and allow to warm with chicken slightly before serving. Garnish with parsley.

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32 Comments

Thought this dish was absolutely DELICIOUS! Served with a fine pasta nest & broccoli. Didn’t use the capers – not usually in our pantry.
Quick question – did you cut the chicken breast in half or slice making more of a cutlet style?
A definite repeat!

I’m like you, always stocked with lots of chicken but sometimes wondering what to do with it.Your chicken recipes are always winners Jennifer and this does not look like an exception. I love how easy it comes together too!

Jennifer…made it last night with the thighs and it was sensationally delicious!

After browning the thighs, I put them in the oven @ 325 while I was making the sauce just to make sure that they were cooked through. It worked perfectly and gave me that little bit extra feeling of comfort that the poultry was cooked.

The sauce is divine and comes together creating a luxurious blend of perfect tastes. I used Vermouth for my wine as I always have some on hand.

So glad you enjoyed it Susan :) I know what you mean about wanting to know the chicken is cooked, so I don’t blame you for the quick oven trip. I love my handy dandy instant read thermometer for my peace of mind. I always poke it in and make sure I’ve hit 165.

Love your ingredient list, Jennifer! I find capers are like cilantro – people either love them or hate them. I’m a big fan and combined with lemon, garlic, and lovely shallots and fresh herbs this is off the charts. I will make this very soon. Quick and easy too! Perfect )

Yep, boneless chicken is the most popular item in my freezer! I love chicken flavored with lemon! I saw this earlier on Instagram and loved how bright and beautiful the dish is. Made me hungry on the spot!

Hi Susan and thanks! We eat a lot of thighs, too. I just can’t seem to resist picking up the boneless breasts when they are on a good sale :) For boneless thighs, if you cook them flat (un-folded), the cooking time should be quite similar the the halved breasts, I would think.

Very cool! I am loving the sauce for this dish, any sauce with butter and white wine or lager in seems to agree with me instantly:) Charred lemons are so great as an addition to a number of dishes, I really like how you have these thin slices immersed in the sauce. Pinned!

Lovely chicken recipe Jennifer! Lemon and chicken is great together and “easy: makes it that much better. My freezer always has boneless chicken in it too – thanks for the great ways to use it up! Have a lovely weekend.